Camping Vocabulary Worksheet – Gear, Campsite, Trail

All 36 words

Gear 12

air mattress A bed that you fill with air before you lie on it. "The air mattress went flat in the night."
backpack A pack worn behind the shoulders to carry gear. "Her backpack holds a jacket and a lunch."
compass An instrument whose needle helps you find north. "The compass needle swings to point north."
first aid kit A ready pack of bandages and other care supplies. "The first aid kit is in the car."
flashlight A handheld source of light that works on batteries. "Take a flashlight when you walk at night."
lantern A lamp inside a see-through case with a carrying handle. "Hang the lantern inside the tent."
map A flat picture of the land, drawn to help you find your way. "Find the campsite on the map."
sleeping bag A warm padded bag that a camper sleeps inside. "Roll up your sleeping bag in the morning."
tent A fold-up shelter of fabric stretched over poles. "We put up the tent before it got dark."
tent peg A spike that pins a tent rope to the ground. "One tent peg came loose in the wind."
tent pole A long rod that holds a tent up. "Slide each tent pole through its sleeve."
water bottle A bottle you carry so that you have water to drink. "Fill your water bottle before the hike."

Show all 36 words (24 more)

At the campsite 12

camp stove A small stove made to be carried and used outdoors. "She heated soup on the camp stove."
campfire A fire lit outside at camp for heat, light and cooking. "We sang songs around the campfire."
campsite The place where campers put up tents and stay. "Our campsite is beside the lake."
cookout An outdoor meal that a group cooks and eats together. "The whole family came to the cookout."
fire pit A hole or ring of stones made to hold a fire. "Each campsite has a fire pit."
firewood Wood that is meant to be burned for heat. "Stack the firewood where it will stay dry."
marshmallow A squishy candy made from sugar and whipped until soft. "He toasted a marshmallow on a stick."
picnic table A table for eating outside, with bench seats attached. "We ate breakfast at the picnic table."
pitch To set up a tent so that it is ready to use. "Pitch the tent on flat ground."
roast To cook something in dry heat, as over a fire. "We will roast corn for dinner."
shelter A place that keeps you out of the rain and wind. "We found shelter under the trees."
trail mix A snack of nuts and dried fruit to eat on a walk. "Pack some trail mix for the afternoon."

On the trail 12

creek A small natural flow of water, narrower than a river. "The children waded in the creek."
forest Trees and undergrowth filling a great stretch of land. "The trail goes through a pine forest."
hike A long outing on foot, taken for pleasure or exercise. "The hike to the waterfall took all morning."
landmark An easily seen object that travelers steer by. "The tall rock is a good landmark."
meadow Grassy land where wild plants bloom. "Deer were eating in the meadow."
outdoors The open air, away from buildings. "They spent the whole weekend outdoors."
ridge The long, narrow crest along the top of a mountain. "From the ridge we could see both lakes."
trail A narrow unpaved route used by walkers. "This trail leads to the lake."
trailhead The starting point of a walking path. "Meet us at the trailhead at eight."
valley A stretch of lower land with slopes rising on each side. "A river runs through the valley."
waterfall Water from a stream falling down a steep rock face. "We could hear the waterfall from the trail."
wildlife Untamed animals in their natural homes. "Watch the wildlife from far away."

How this list was compiled: Word list chosen for this site on 2026-10-09. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and a second time against the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/). Fire pit has no entry in the Cambridge Dictionary and was checked a second time against the English Wikipedia article Fire pit (https://en.wikipedia.org/), under the same license. Marshmallow was also checked against the English Wikipedia article Marshmallow. The sentence after each meaning is our own example of the word in use. Licence: own work

How it works

This camping vocabulary worksheet prints twelve words down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. It opens on gear, from tent to first aid kit. Two more sets cover the campsite and the trail.

Read the full guide

Gear words first

Set opens on Gear: tent, sleeping bag, backpack, lantern, flashlight, compass, map, tent pole, tent peg, air mattress, water bottle and first aid kit. In the list under the tool each word has a sentence that uses it, such as "We put up the tent before it got dark."

The campsite and the trail

At the campsite prints campfire, campsite, firewood, marshmallow, fire pit, picnic table, pitch, roast, shelter, camp stove, trail mix and cookout. On the trail has trail, hike, trailhead, wildlife, waterfall, creek, forest, meadow, landmark, valley, ridge and outdoors.

Two of the words are verbs: pitch and roast.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a lantern and a flashlight?

A lantern is a lamp inside a see-through case with a handle, made to be carried or hung up, so it lights the space around it. A flashlight is a small battery light that is held in the hand.

What does it mean to pitch a tent?

To set it up so that it is ready to use. A tent is fabric stretched over tent poles, and tent pegs pushed into the ground hold its ropes.

What is a trailhead?

The starting point of a trail. On the worksheet it is in the third set, with trail, hike, landmark, ridge and valley.